Meet Me

Hi all! I'm a self-contained special education teacher from sunny Arizona! I teach k-3rd grade students with Down Syndrome, Developmental Delays, Cerebral Palsy and everything in between. I have a passion for organization, lists, and creating hands on activities for my learners!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Teacher Journal

On my last day of student teaching, my cooperating teacher gave me an ordinary spiral notebook. She glued a name tag on the front and wrote my name in her perfectly cute handwriting. She told me to keep a journal of my first year teaching. It was a darling gesture, but secretly I thought, "ain't nobody got time for that!" I packed it away in one of the many boxes I had hoarded away for my first classroom. Two months later I got my keys and had 3 full days to set up my room. I didn't know much about my kiddos yet, but I figured out how to set up the tables and put up a couple cute things. Well.... then came the first day of school. Woah. What just happened. Did I eat? Did I pee? Who knows. I saw the Journal in a pile of stuff I still hadn't organized, but I didn't pull it out. If every day was going to be like the one I just had, there is no way in heck I'm going to have time to keep a journal. Next thing I remember was it was Friday after school. I got my kids on to the bus even if they were kicking a screaming. I sat in my desk chair and looked around at the pandemonium that was my once organized and cute classroom. I started reflecting on what worked and what didn't. I knew that some seat changes needed to happen and maybe a little furniture rearranging. I got the Journal out to sketch my class. I'm a visual gal and needed to map it out. Before I knew it I was jotting down memories and thoughts of how to be better prepared for the first few days next year. (Was is bad that I was already looking forward to next year??) This simple spiral notebook with my name on the front helped me reflect on my class, my students, and my self as a teacher. It helped me feel empowered that I could make positive changes and was in control of the chaos. It helped me when I needed a little encouragement or felt like leaving myself a love note. If you don't have one, I would highly suggest investing the $2 and few minutes it takes. I plan on having one for the foreseeable future.

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